


The Magical Monsters Tour

by eafay70



Category: Men's Hockey RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magic, Falling In Love, M/M, Road Trips
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-11
Updated: 2018-12-11
Packaged: 2019-09-13 22:42:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,013
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16901205
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eafay70/pseuds/eafay70
Summary: Sonny didn't know what to expect when he joined the Magical Monsters, a traveling ice hockey team that incorporates magic in their games/performances. He definitely didn't expect to learn firsthand how his heart affected his magic, and yet here he is.





	The Magical Monsters Tour

**Author's Note:**

  * For [yeswayappianway](https://archiveofourown.org/users/yeswayappianway/gifts).



> Thank you for organizing this exchange! :) I'm not very familiar with these guys, but I like broadening my horizons every so often; I hope to have done them justice here!
> 
> While reading about the Monsters (AHL team), the phrase "magical Monsters tour" popped into my head. So I reread the recipient likes, saw "magical" and "road trips," and decided on a magical hockey version of the Harlem Globetrotters. That was around noon on a Sunday; I wrote this in one three-hour sitting on that same Sunday, which is quite possibly the fastest I've ever written a fic of this length.
> 
> In this 'verse, about 50% of the world's population has some sort of magic. There's no stigma against magic, and most professional sports leagues allow its use within rules meant to keep everyone safe.
> 
> You'll notice that the positions in this fic don't entirely match positions in real life. That's because I knew I had to change positions to make a working team, so I decided to make the established couples play together.

"Hockey fans of all ages!" Sully boomed. "Please welcome tonight's team to the ice!"

The audience began to applaud and cheer. Sonny and his teammates grinned - this part never, ever got old.

"In goal, the man who doesn't always want to be seen, Joonas Korpisalo!"  
Joonas skated towards his crease, turning invisible for a few seconds along the way.

"On defense, the super speedster you'll hail as a victor, Zach Werenski!"  
Zach zoomed to the ice, shifting to his wolverine form.

"And also on defense, the strongman you don't want to hit, Josh Anderson!"  
Josh skated to Zach's right side and lifted him up for a moment before shifting into his wolverine form.

"At one of the wings, the guy who'll teleport anywhere for a cheese Danish, Oliver Bjorkstrand!"  
Oliver disappeared in a puff of blue smoke, then reappeared on the ice in another puff of blue smoke, his falcon wings fluttering.

"And at the other wing, the dude who moves things with his mind, Lukas Sedlak!"  
Lukas skated to Oliver's side and made his boyfriend's helmet float off his head long enough for them to kiss, his own falcon wings flapping with excitement.

"And at center, the man who shines way too bright for the opposition's liking, Sonny Milano!"  
Sonny took to the ice, smiling to himself as his teammates made a show of shielding their eyes from his glow.

"They're all here, so give a big cheer for the Magical Monsters Tour!" The audience complied, and Sonny turned off his glow to skate to center ice, where the evening's opponent was waiting for the puck to float down onto the ice. Sonny won the face-off even without using his glow, and the game was on!

The Magical Monsters Tour had been founded decades earlier in reponse to the International Ice Hockey Federation banning all magic and shifted forms from professional hockey. At first, the Tour had by chance consisted exclusively of people who could fully shift, hence the term "monsters," but this had never been official; nowadays, anyone with even a little bit of magic could apply to join the Tour, and a lot of people applied. Sonny had applied mainly for the chance to travel North America, not really expecting to get the job, but he'd gotten the job and now got to play against local amateur teams with guys he now considered his best friends. Who could ask for anything more?

Well, late that night as he was trying to fall asleep on the bus, Sonny found himself asking for more: someone to love. He could hear Zach and Josh bickering over a video game, plus Lukas and Oliver teasing each other with increasingly ridiculous pet names, and it made Sonny's heart ache a little. Why did he, a hopeless romantic with no luck in love, have to be part of the first edition of the Tour to include two couples??

When people with magic fell in love and got together, their magic aligned via their shift forms. Zach and Josh were childhood sweethearts who joined the Tour with the ability to fully shift into wolverines. On the other end of the spectrum were Lukas and Oliver, who after a few years of dating could unfurl falcon wings, but couldn't fully shift into falcons yet. According to Sully, who had played on the Tour before becoming announcer/historian, there had been a few cases of couples who had played together on the Tour, along with some couples who had played at different times on the Tour, but never before had there been two couples at the same time on the Tour. And while both couples were good about keeping things appropriate on the bus, Sonny couldn't help feeling jealous and sad. He didn't care what their shifted form would be - he just didn't want to be alone.

*

The next day found the Tour in Columbus. Valentine's Day was approaching, so the two happy couples were sent to a photoshoot with the theme "double date," while Sonny and Joonas were given a pile of photos and told to sign them for the next fan club mailing.

"I hate being single this time of year," Sonny grumbled. "It's like the world wants to remind me that I can't find a decent guy no matter how hard I try, not that I've bothered trying lately."

"Really?" Joonas sounded very surprised. "A kind, funny guy like you can't find someone good?"

"They start out good - heck, sometimes it starts as friendship - but it doesn't last. I'm too 'clingy' for wanting to cuddle all the time, or I'm too 'prudish' for not putting out right away..." Sonny sighed. "I guess I want too much."

"No, you don't."

Sonny turned to face Joonas, only to sigh when he wasn't visible. "It's hard to take you seriously when I can't see you."

"Sorry." Joonas reappeared, looking sheepish. "I've actually been having a harder time controlling it for some reason - not during games, thank goodness, but I randomly turn invisible and don't notice until someone else says something. Not sure why, but probably not a big deal."

"If you say so." Sonny turned back to his task. "You a fan of Valentine's Day?"

"I'm a fan of sales on chocolate, but beyond that, no. I just..." Joonas exhaled. "When there's someone I want to date, I get too scared that he won't feel the same way, so I don't do anything. Nobody has ever asked me out, not even someone I wouldn't be interested in, so I've never had someone for Valentine's Day."

"No way!" Sonny shook his head in complete disbelief. "You've never dated?! How has nobody tried to date you?!"

"I know it'll happen someday," Joonas replied. "I'm being patient."

"Fair enough." Sonny didn't know what else to say, so he didn't say anything else. 

That night, alone in his bunk after a successful show, Sonny found himself thinking about Joonas. He was good-looking and charming, not to mention talented on the ice, but Sonny had joined the Tour determined to keep his heart safe from anyone with whom he would be traveling, so thinking about Joonas had been out of the question. Did that still make sense, considering how often the two couples on the Tour argued, played hockey together without missing a beat, and then made up?

Maybe not, Sonny thought as he fell asleep, his mind filling with images of Joonas doing goalie splits off the ice. Maybe thinking about Joonas like that would be okay.

*

As per usual, Sonny was the first one awake the following morning. He carefully climbed out of his bunk and made his way to the kitchenette, where he started getting breakfast ready by the light of his glow.

About twenty minutes later, Sonny heard the clack of wolverine claws and turned around to see a shifted Josh lumbering into the kitchenette. "Good morning," he said.

Instead of nuzzling Sonny the way he usually did, Josh whimpered and lowered his head.

"Did Zach keep you up too late?" Sonny waggled his eyebrows, hoping to make it clear that he was just kidding.

Josh whimpered again, turning to face the entraceway as Lukas came in. "Morning, guys," he said, walking towards the fridge. He unfurled his wings and used them to shield his eyes. "Sonny, turn it down, please."

"Huh?" Sonny paused, his hand on the cabinet door. "Turn what down?"

"Your sunlight." Lukas took out the milk and orange juice. "I know it's better than using electricity, but it's not cloudy enough for you to be on full blast."

"Oh, sorry, didn't realize I was." Sonny focused on dimming his glow, then opened the cabinet and got out plates and bowls. "Is that what you were complaining about, Josh?"

"How dare you make Josh complain - that's my exclusive right!" Zach walked in just as Josh was shifting to his human form. "What did Light Boy do, babe?"

"He was being really bright," Josh groaned. "And he's doing it again."

"I am?" Sonny put down the plates and bowls, then glanced down at himself. "I didn't think I was."

"Well, you are." Lukas sighed and turned to Oliver, who had just come in. "Sweetheart, when we first met and your powers started acting weird, did you notice?"

"Yes, but teleporting and glowing are very different," Oliver pointed out. "Sonny, you're in love."

"No, I'm not!" Sonny argued, forcing off his glow entirely and glaring at everyone else for nodding in agreement with Oliver. "I'd know if I were in love!"

The four others started laughing. Sonny frowned, hoping to get them to stop, but it didn't work.

"What's so funny?"

The laughter stopped. "Can't see you, Joonas," Oliver announced on behalf of himself and everyone else.

"Sorry." Joonas turned visible. "Anyway, what's so funny?"

"Hearts," Zach said, throwing an arm around Josh. "Hearts are very funny things."

Joonas sighed. "Easy for you to say."

Sonny didn't like how unhappy Joonas looked and sounded, so he poured a mug of coffee and brought it to him. "Ignore them. They're mean."

"Thank you," Joonas smiled. Sonny smiled back, pleased that things were pretty much back to normal.

*

Things didn't stay normal. Sonny found himself glancing at Joonas a lot, and at least half of the time Joonas was glancing back at him. The others noticed, as evidenced by their constant stream of kissy faces. And it didn't help that they kept complaining about him glowing too much or Joonas turning invisible too often.

By the time the Tour reached Cleveland for that night's performance, Sonny was fed up. There was a little free time before dinner, so Sonny made his way to a small drugstore, made a purchase, and tracked down Joonas in the back of the bus. "Hi."

"Hi." Joonas smiled, disappeared for a second, then reappeared, his smile faltering. "You look...not exactly happy."

"Our d-men and wingers are very annoying," Sonny explained. He held out his purchase. "I know it's not actually Valentine's Day yet, but I want you to have this now."

Joonas took it from him. "It's a very large heart-shaped box of chocolates."

"It is."

"You're glowing every other second."

"I guess I am." Sonny sighed, took a deep breath, and spoke. "After we talked yesterday, I realized I'd kept myself from even thinking about liking you as more than a friend, so I decided to stop doing that, and this morning I was informed that my glow was being weird, which apparently is a sign of being in love. So maybe I've been thinking about you very secretly all along and didn't realize it? I'm not sure."

Joonas put the box of chocolates to the side and took a step towards Sonny. "I figured out last night that I've been in love with you for quite some time." Before Sonny could completely process those words, Joonas kissed him hard.

Sonny kissed back for a couple seconds before having to pull back and breathe. "I hope you don't mind waiting for more than that."

"I can wait for sex," Joonas said. "But please don't make me wait for cuddles."

Sonny pulled Joonas into his arms. "Never."

The game went very well, even if warmups were interrupted by the d-men and wingers teasing Sonny and Joonas for having heart-eyes. By silent agreement afterwards, Joonas joined Sonny in his bunk, where they cuddled all night long. There wasn't much space, but Sonny slept better than he'd ever slept on the Tour.

The next morning, Sonny woke up with a strange feeling on his back. He went to the bathroom, took off his shirt, and yelped. Joonas came running: "What happened?"

"Scales!" Sonny was staring over his shoulder at his back. "Scales!"

Joonas took off his own shirt. "Me, too!"

"We're going to shift into fish!" Sonny gasped. 

"Showing signs of a shifted form less than a day after getting together?" Joonas marveled. "Sounds like a silly true love story. But I like it."

"Same." Sonny kissed Joonas, very happy indeed at how things were turning out.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Feedback is greatly appreciated!!


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